A/N: Sorry for the long wait.

~ * ~ Chapter 9: Come Down ~ * ~

Kazuya Higurashi paced the length of the family room, waiting for his daughters to come home.

He had sent Kikyo after Kagome when he found out that she did not attend her afternoon classes. It has been at least two hours since the private high school retired for the day.

All of the after school clubs were done with as well.

He had been in his office 'talking' to his wife when the secretary from at the attendance office called to ask if Kagome was ill. He was surprised, to say the least, that Kagome would skip school. . .

He heard the door open and waited as his two daughters walk in hesitantly.

"Where have you been, Kagome?"

"I've been out at the park?"

" 'Out at the park'? You've been skipping school with some punk, weren't you?"

Kagome fought the urge to look at Kikyo with an accusing glare. "No daddy, I was by myself. . . be- because a friend dared me to do it."

Kazuya looked skeptical for a few seconds before he nodded his head; "And I guess that you will not tell me who this 'friend' is, will you?"

She shook her head, she hated to lie to anyone like that.

"I don't want you to do it again. You have a project in you Amerika class," he looked Kagome straight in the eye, "and the next time you want to leave school, just say so."

Kagome hung her head in shame, trying hard not to cry. It wasn't smart to show any weaknesses in front of a man with so much power, even if he was your father. "Yes, daddy."

Kazuya smiled at her vulnerability. Kikyo left some time ago.

"Come here Kagome."

She wiped her eyes and walked over to her father to sit in his lap. She felt a little foolish, you know, being almost of age and all. "I think this is the last time I will hold you, Poppet."

Kagome relaxed into his warn embrace.

"You're a bad liar, Kagome."

She tensed then relaxed again. He wasn't using his mad voice.

"I was with a boy, daddy. I lied because I didn't—"

"I know why you lied Kagome. I did the same thing when I was about your age."

He didn't want to ask her who the boy was or what they were doing. Kagome was his favorite child, even though society favored sons more than daughters, and he showed it with the things he did for her.

It was just her sunny personality and the way her smile lit up the whole room. Her twin, Kikyo, looked like the more mature, dark, and serious version of Kagome; she Kikyo doesn't have that 'everybody loves me' personality.

Also, Kagome favored his dad sister, may God bless he soul, the most. Saiko, his only sibling, was a beautiful person. She was always full of cheer, like Kagome, and trying to please everyone all the time.

But, she fell in love with a man who wasn't approved by their father; had a child, then died almost nine years later. Her husband remarried after the child was thirteen years old and adopted his new wife's son, the whole family living to this day.

Kagome only saw her aunt three times in her life, only because their father disowned her for marrying her husband.

'Even though she married th wrong person, I still went on loving her as my sister.'

He looked into his daughter's eyes ('The same shade of gray/blue') and smiled. "Go wash up for dinner, you stink!"

Kagome giggled, glad to be in her father's good graces again. 'He was thinking about Saiko-chan again.'

She pecked his cheek affectionately, "Love you too, dad."

Kagome left the room.

That's it